


mixed messages

by anendtoallthings



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, changlix, everyone say thank you bang chan, new boy felix, nice upperclassman changbin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 04:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20942447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anendtoallthings/pseuds/anendtoallthings
Summary: "So instead of calling me an asshole, you should be thanking me for delivering you into the arms of a freckled little cutie."- bang chan to seo changbin, probablyOr, space nerd Changbin meets new kid Felix and for once in his life the stars align.





	mixed messages

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ashtin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashtin/gifts).

> i really love ashtin's fics! all of them!  
i am a little scared of writing changlix for the changlix queen but happy birthday ashtin thank you for carrying our fandom on your back

"Felix Lee?" The coordinator's voice rang out over the crowd of nervous-looking college freshman.

"Um, here!" 

A slight, short-ish young man raised his hand, looking embarrassed. The first thing Changbin noticed about him were the freckles that dusted his golden skin, which was surprising considering the fact that the student had the most unusual shade of pastel lilac hair. That was the _ second _thing he noticed, though. 

The coordinator beamed. "Glad to see you! You're with…" Her finger glided down the list of names on her clipboard. "Chris Bang!"

Changbin cleared his throat. "Uh, Chris has a cold. I'm stepping in for him today." 

The woman squinted at him for a moment before breaking out into her people-pleasing smile. "Changbin, right? Well, thank you! Okay Felix, you're with Changbin for now."

Felix gulped and nodded, and Changbin noticed him put two fingers up to the side of his neck. _ Was he checking his pulse? _ he wondered. _ He must be more nervous than I am. _ He wiped his hands on his jeans to get rid of the clamminess and stepped forward to meet his brand-new "Freshman Buddy," trying his best to put a pleasant expression on his face. _ I'm gonna kill Chan later _, he decided.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Changbin."

"Yeah, I heard." Felix's nervous giggle softened the statement, and all of a sudden Changbin realized just how… _ cute _he was. 

The freckles and purple hair had distracted him at first (more or less than his barely contained social anxiety at standing in front of a crowd full of people, he wasn't exactly sure), but now that they were face-to-face, Changbin noticed just how big and round the boy's eyes were. And how cute his cheeks were, and how he kind of had pointy little ears that peeked out from underneath the soft pastel locks. And his adorable button nose, and--

"Um, are we gonna… go?"

_ Shit. _ Changbin had been staring. _ Shit shit shit. Seo Changbin, control your gay! _

"Sorry-- haha, yeah. You're in…" he glanced at the paperwork Chan had given him earlier today. "Oh. You're in our dorm!" He peered up at the new kid, who was of course taller than him. Everyone was taller than him. "You're in the Honors College?" 

Felix nodded, a shy smile on his lips as they started walking. "Yeah, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to go for it, but I made it in, so…"

"Oh, it's great. Trust me. You can register first for classes, and you get to take a lot of interesting discussion classes for your gen eds instead of lecture courses. Do you like science? There's a really cool course you can take instead of astronomy called astrobio, it's about space and the search for life outside the solar system, and the professor is actually an advisor for SETI, which is like, amazing--" 

He suddenly realized that Felix was laughing at him, and he stopped mid-sentence. "What?" he asked, half embarrassed and half annoyed. His friends always told him he talked too much. 

"No, sorry, don't stop!" Felix was giving him a look of such sincerity that Changbin's irritation just melted away. "It's just, you were kind of scary when you were standing up there, but when you started talking about space you got so excited. It was cute."

_ Cute?!? _ Changbin's face flushed. What was he supposed to say to that? Where was the nearest bus so it could run him over? "Uh, thanks," he sputtered, mentally facepalming at the awkwardness before the words had even finished coming out of his mouth. 

Felix laughed again, but Changbin got the feeling that the other boy wasn't laughing _ at _ him. It just seemed like his natural state of being-- like a little ray of sunshine personified. MaybeAnd suddenly he wasn't _ quite _so mad at Chan for guilting Changbin into taking his place in this stupid Freshman-Buddy bullshit after all.

"Okay, well," Changbin "Let's start the tour. Are you hungry?"

  
  


"I have your soup, asshole!"

Changbin kicked the door closed behind him. He and Chan had adjacent single rooms connected by a shared bathroom and neither of them locked their doors while they were home. 

"Why am I an asshole?" Chan whined nasally, sitting up in his bed. His white-blonde curls were sticking out all over the place, and other than that and his pale skin, he was shrouded in black. Black hoodie, black sheets, black comforter. When his hands emerged from under the blankets, they were hidden by his black sweater paws. Chan liked oversized clothing. 

"Because you guilted me into your job and didn't even tell the Witch."

The Witch was what they called the Honors College facility coordinator. She secretly hated Changbin because of a _ tiny _ incident in his freshman year involving a microwave and a very unfortunate frog. 

Chan groaned. "Shit." He sounded congested and phlegmy. "Sorry, man. I forgot," he said miserably. 

Changbin softened. "Nah, don't worry about it." He dumped the takeout bag on Chan's desk and sank down into the chair, careful not to touch anything. The last thing he needed was to get sick. "The freshie I got was actually, uh… kinda cute."

"Yeah?" Chan perked up. "What was she like?"

_ "He," _ Changbin corrected. Chan was so hopelessly straight sometimes. "He was like, adorable. He has _ freckles." _

"Fuck, I love freckles."

"I know, right? And I was all nervous and shit cause I hate meeting new people and of course I ended up rambling about fucking space--"

"Oh, no."

"Shut up," Changbin said with a scowl. "Anyway, I started rambling, and he laughed at me and I thought he was making fun of me but then he called me _ cute." _

His friend wolf-whistled. "Shit, Binnie. Do you think he's gay too?"

"Well, he asked me if we had an LGBTQ alliance and he hugged me goodbye, so I would say… likely."

"So instead of calling me _ asshole, _you should be thanking me for delivering you into the arms of a freckled little cutie."

"You didn't _ deliver me-- _ ugh, you're so cheesy sometimes. And gross."

Chan wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. "Does this mean you'll take over my shift tomorrow, too?"

A small smile grew on Changbin's face. "Yeah," he said. "I guess I will."

  
  
  


**new message [1] ** _19_ _:05_

_ +1 212-566-1902 _: hey! it's felix

_+__1 212-566-1902 _: just texting so you have my number for tomorrow 

Changbin smiled unconsciously and long-pressed the new number, adding it to his contacts. 

_ You: _ added :^) 

_ Felix: _ thanks! 

_ Felix: _ I like your smiley

_ Felix: _ the nose is cute

Putting aside his laptop, Changbin flopped back on his bed and held his phone above him to tap out a reply. 

_ You: _ my friend made me start using those in like elementary school cause he said my nose was big and my emoji had to match

_ Felix: _haha. that's kinda mean

_ Felix: _I like your nose

_ What the fuck do I say to that?! _

_ You: _I like it too

_ You: _so how's your floor? meet anyone yet?

_ Felix: _uhhh I haven't talked to anyone except my roommate yet :( I'm too shy

_ You: _didn't your RA have an icebreaker party or smth?

_ Felix: _it's at 9

_ Felix: _… I kinda don't wanna go tho….

"Aww," Changbin said out loud. He was shy himself, so he knew what Felix was going through, and Felix's comment sent a pang through his heart. But his job (Chan's job, really) was to make sure the new student adjusted well to their new environment, instead of staying cooped up in their room all the time.

_ You: _it'll be fun! besides, everyone else is new too. I'm sure they all feel a little nervous just like you

_ Felix: _hhh you're probably right

_ Felix: _😤😤😤 I can do it!

_ Jesus fucking christ, how is he so cute? _ Changbin thought to himself. _ I'm in love and it hasn't even been one full day yet. _

_ You: _yeah! is your roommate nice at least?

_ Felix: _I think so! hes kind of quiet tho

_ Felix: _his name is Seungmin

_ Felix: _but we both somehow ended up bringing refrigerators…

_ You: _lol

_ You: _I mean it's not the worst thing in the world

His alarm beeped and Changbin nearly dropped his phone on his face. It was time for dinner with his friends. (If he didn't set an alarm, he would be late nine times out of ten, and Woojin had threatened to stop saving him a seat in the dining hall last year.)

_ You: _hey I gotta go. good luck with the icebreaker! I'm sure you'll have fun

_ You: _and I'll meet you at 10 tomorrow so we can walk to class together, okay?

Part of the Buddy program was walking the new students to their classes for the first two days. Changbin personally thought it was a little juvenile, but since the program was a voluntary thing, he figured there must be some kids who felt better having that kind of security in the beginning.

_ Felix: _yeah! thank you so much 😭

_ Felix: _um, hey 

_ You: _???

_ Felix: _I know Chan is your friend, but… I'm kind of glad he got sick. cause I'm glad I got to meet you today

_ Felix: _ see you tomorrow!

_ Felix: _(I hope he feels better soon, tho)

_ You: _haha

Changbin's fingers hesitated for a moment. He wasn't usually bold. He was usually a little shy, a _ lot _ self-conscious, and always overthinking everything. But… something about Felix made him feel like he could be different.

_ You: _I'm glad I met you, too.

Heart racing, he shut off his phone screen and shoved the whole thing under his pillow, not wanting to see Felix's response. It was a good kind of feeling, though, and the smile stayed on his face for the rest of the night.

  
  
  


"I _ hate _ him!" 

Hyunjin flopped forward onto the table dramatically, resting his chin on the cheap plastic surface and looking up at Changbin with big puppy-dog eyes. "He's _ messy, _ and _ arrogant, _ and he keeps giving me advice on things he's not even _ good _ at--"

Changbin just hummed in non-committal pity. He was used to Hyunjin's whining-- they had been best friends since before elementary school, and Hyunjin had always been sensitive. Changbin couldn't count the number of times he'd biked over to Hyunjin's house in the middle of the night, just to give him a shoulder to cry on. 

"-- and he's like, a pig! He leaves his dirty underwear on the floor, for God's sake!"

"So do you," Changbin said with a snort. "Remember that time in seventh grade when you had to work with Chaeryong on that school project? And she came over to your house, and--"

"Shut _ up!" _ Hyunjin groaned. "Don't remind me. She told _ everyone." _

"I didn't even know they _ made _Sailor Moon underwear for guys."

"Shut up shut up shut _ up _ , Changbin, you are evil!" Hyunjin glared at him over his waffles and spaghetti. _ The beauty of a dining hall, _Changbin thought with only minimal disgust. He himself was having cereal for dinner, so he didn't have much room to criticize. 

_ "Anyway," _Hyunjin said, sitting up and picking at his butter-drenched waffle, "Chan told me he played matchmaker for you last week. What's that all about?"

Changbin let out a snort. "He didn't matchmake me, he got sick and dumped his stupid Freshman-Buddy bullshit on me last minute." He paused, trying to decide how much he wanted to say. He had avoided telling Hyunjin about it all week even though they texted non-stop, because there was nothing Hyunjin loved more than romance-- and once Changbin told him, his friend would likely never shut up about it. "But… the freshman I got matched with is _ really _cute. And, uh, we've kind of been hanging out like every day since then."

Hyunjin's eyes opened wide and his whole demeanor changed. He was practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh? Yeah? What's he like? What's his name? Is he taller than you?"

"Of course he's taller than me," Changbin huffed. "Everyone is taller than me."

"I know," Hyunjin said with a giggle. "It's cute. It's like your charm point. That and your big nose."

(Yes, Hyunjin was, in fact, the same friend who made Changbin start using pointy-nosed smilies in fifth grade.)

Changbin rolled his eyes. "Do you want me to answer the rest of your questions or not?"

"Yes, please, sorry! I'll shut up."

"Good. Anyway, his name is Felix, and he's from Australia so he has this _ adorable _ accent-- and freckles! His whole face is covered in freckles, it's seriously so pretty. Oh, and he has like, pastel purple hair too, although it's starting to fade now, and his major is creative writing. I've read one of his stories, too, it was actually really interesting--"

He stopped when he realized Hyunjin was laughing. _ Why do people always do this to me?! _ "What?" he asked in annoyance. 

"Binnie, you're fucking in love!" Hyunjin pushed their plates aside and reached out to grab Changbin's hands. "I've never seen you like this. I'm so happy for you."

A blush crept into Changbin's cheeks. "Wh-what?" he stammered. "No way, I barely know him…"

"Come on. Are you really doubting _ me _in the romance department? I know a crush when I see it, and you are fucking gone for this guy."

It wasn't that Hyunjin was experienced-- quite the opposite, in fact. He had so many bad experiences when he was younger with people only liking him for his looks, and he'd sworn off dating for all of high school. (Changbin wondered if that would change now, though.) But the other boy _ did _watch a shitton of romance dramas. And read romance novels, and romance manga-- and he had an astonishingly large collection of dating sim games. So, yeah. He considered himself an expert. 

"I don't know, Jinnie… he's a freshman. Isn't that weird?"

"You're only a year older than him. That's not weird at all. It's _ cool. _ You could be his cool older boyfriend, showing him all the places it took you a whole year to find, introduce him to your cool older friends…"

"Pfft. Chan and Woojin aren't cool; they're huge nerds."

"Wow, I'm telling them you said that--"

"Oh my god, no, they'll kill me--"

The two friends broke down into laughter, clutching each other's hands for support as they doubled over the crowded table. Eventually Hyunjin wheezed and wiped a tear from his eye. "Ahhh, man," he breathed. "I don't remember the last time I laughed that hard."

"Same."

Hyunjin looked over at him again, suddenly serious. "Hey… I'm really glad I'm finally here. I missed you."

Changbin's heart melted, and he felt real tears well up behind his eyes. Last year had been rough, coming to a school four hours away, all by himself. It had taken him awhile to finally meet Chan and Woojin and all their music nerd friends-- _ his _friends now. 

"Me too," he said. And he meant it. "It wasn't the same without you."

Hyunjin sniffled. "You made friends, though."

"I did. But they're not you. I missed you a lot, Hyunjin." He sensed that there was more to his friend's sudden tears, though. "Is everything going okay?"

The other boy sighed and leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. My roommate is just… he's driving me crazy. And I know I'm like, sensitive or whatever and I shouldn't care so much, but it's like-- I feel so _ tense _ when he's there. It makes me wanna just avoid going home. Which sucks, and it's stressing me out like a _ lot." _

"Oh no…" Changbin didn't really know what to say. Hyunjin was the one who was good at emotions, not him. "That sounds awful. Have you talked to your RA?"

"I don't know what I would say." Hyunjin sounded dejected. "He's not doing anything against the rules. He's just a slob and he's rude and he's up all night playing music and just _ ugh!" _

Changbin rubbed Hyunjin's arm. "I'm sorry, Jinnie. You know you can always come and stay with me, right? If you need some time to chill, or anything."

All the freshman had to share with roommates, but upperclassmen could choose single rooms if they wanted. Chan and Changbin had considered rooming together to save money, but the draw of their own space was too strong. Woojin had moved off campus entirely. 

"Thanks," Hyunjin said. "Whew. What an emotional rollercoaster. I'm exhausted." He looked down at his plates and frowned. "This looks disgusting now. How could you let me get spaghetti _ and _a waffle?"

"Jeez, I'm not your mom. Eat what you want, I don't give a fuck. Welcome to college."

They both laughed again, and it was a long time before they finished chatting and finally went their separate ways. Both of them left the dining hall with smiles on their faces. 

  


**new message [1] ** _ 00:08 _

_ Felix: _hi! you up?

_ You: _yeah. barely. what's up?

_ Felix: _nothing really. just missed you

Changbin's breath caught in his throat. That sounded… romantic?

_ Felix: _lol I mean cause it was the first day I haven't seen you

_ Felix _: made it to my classes all on my own tho! are you proud of me? 😊

_ You: _so proud. how is your second week going?

_ Felix: _good! you were so right about the gen eds, I'm glad I'm not in a lecture class

_ Felix: _Seungmin's boyfriend is taking a few and he complainsn ALL the time

_ Felix: _*complains

_ You: _he has a boyfriend already? that was fast

_ Felix: _oh they've been dating since high school apparently. it's really cute tbh, Minho is a junior but Seungminnie is way more mature than him lol

_ You: _look at you, on a nickname basis with your roommate and it's only the second week

_ You: _I didn't have to worry about you at all :^P

Changbin rolled over in bed. His phone was bright in the darkness (he had been trying to fall asleep when his phone buzzed), and it bathed his small dorm room in a digital blue glow. After staring at the screen for a moment, trying to find the right words, he took a deep breath. 

_ You: _so I know the buddy program is mostly over

_ You: _but I'd love to keep hanging out with you 

He held his breath-- but he didn't have to hold it long, because the reply was instantaneous.

_ Felix: _YES

_ Felix: _god I'm so glad you asked

As Changbin watched, the little _ typing _icon appeared and reappeared multiple times. He smiled. It was nice knowing that Felix didn't always know just what to say, either.

_ Felix: _!!!!

_ You: _omg it took you that long to come with four exclamation points lol

_ Felix: _I'm just happy!

_ You: _you're so cute 

The message sent before Changbin even processed what he'd just typed. When he realized, he cursed out loud. He and his friends said things like this all the time; it just slipped out.

_ Felix: _well so are you

_ Felix: _ :^)

_ You: _wow stealing my identity? your nose isn't even big, this is fraud

_ Felix: _this is mine now

_ Felix: _anyway, do you maybe wanna… watch a movie or something tomorrow?

_ You: _yeah! sounds great

_ You: _I have a 7:20 tomorrow so you can drop by anytime after 9? I'll leave my door unlocked 

_ Felix: _ok!!!! see you tomorrow then 😊😊😊

_ Felix: _night-night, Changbin

_ Felix: _sweet dreams 

_ You: _you too, Felix

Changbin didn't fall asleep for a long time after that, and when he finally did, his dreams _ were _ sweet.

  
  
  


_ "Changbin?" _

Hyunjin's voice on the other side of the phone was choked and teary. It sent Changbin into full panic mode as soon as he heard it.

"Yeah, Jinnie? Are you okay?"

_ "N-no." _Hyunjin was clearly crying. "C-can I come over?"

Changbin glanced at the clock. It was 6:45. He was just about to leave for his night class. 

"Yeah, of course. I'll be here."

He heard the sound of a big, wet sniffle. "Thanks, Binnie."

"Anytime."

The call ended, and Changbin shot a quick text to his friend to sign him in on the roster and borrow his notes later. Then he flipped his hoodie up over his head and waited, scrolling mindlessly through Twitter to occupy his hands. 

Ten minutes later, his door burst open.

Hyunjin threw himself at Changbin, tears already streaming down his face. Changbin was prepared, his arms wide open and standing on his tip-toes so that Hyunjin could slot himself in between Changbin's arms. Changbin just stood there for a moment, patting Hyunjin's back and murmuring comforting words in his ear.

After a few minutes, Hyunjin finally calmed down enough to speak. He pulled back, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and sucking the snot back up into his nose. Changbin guided him over to the bed, and they both sat down. 

"What happened?" Changbin asked softly. He reached out and wiped a stray tear from Hyunjin's cheek. 

Hyunjin's lip wobbled. "I-i-it's _ Jisung _ ," he wailed. "We got in a _ huge _ fight, and-- he said the most _ awful _ things to me. I hate him!"

"Shhh," Changbin soothed. "It's okay. What did he say?"

"Well, I was already in a bad mood today cause I hardly got any sleep last night because of him. He was up listening to music and he can't stay _ quiet! _ He kept tapping the desk and making all these little ad-libs and I couldn't sleep for hours! So I was kinda pissed today, and when I got back from class I fucking _ tripped _ over the goddamn _ laundry basket _he left right in front of the door." Hyunjin swept back his bangs, and Changbin could see a nasty cut on the skin. He winced, and Hyunjin went on. 

"So I asked him if he could just pick up his fucking mess once in awhile--"

"You _ asked _ him? Or you yelled at him?"

"That's not the point! I mean, maybe I was a little forceful, but that was totally valid considering I nearly split my head open because of him! Anyway, I asked him to pick up, and then-- and then he told me I should _ loosen up! _Can you believe that?!"

Changbin just hummed, wrapping his arms around his friend. Hyunjin liked being touched; it calmed him down better than anything else. 

"And then we just kind of started shouting at each other, and… and…" Tears welled up in Hyunjin's eyes again, and his voice got small and wobbly. "And then he said he'd seen my last short story on my desk-- the one I got bad marks on cause I messed up the POV instructions-- and… he said that maybe if I worked on my writing more instead of worrying about his laundry, I wouldn't get such bad grades."

"Oh, Jinnie," Changbin said heavily. His heart broke for his friend. Hyunjin put his entire heart and soul into his writing, and to hear something like that must have really crushed his spirit. He put his arms around Hyunjin, pulling the other boy against his chest. 

"And it's not like I even get bad grades!" Hyunjin said through his sniffles. "I got _ one _ bad grade. Because I got really excited about the prompt and didn't read the directions carefully. Which is on me, sure. But my GPA is like almost a 4.0! He has _ no _ idea what he's talking about!" His face turned dark. _ "He's _ the one who gets bad grades! He's so _ stupid--" _

"Hey, hey, come on. You know that's not gonna make you feel better." Hyunjin had a tendency to lash out when he was upset, and he always regretted it later. 

Hyunjin pouted. "I know," he mumbled. "I'm just… _ ugh, _ I'm so _ mad!" _ He started crying again.

"Shh, hey, you're okay. Here," Changbin said, scooting down in bed until he was laying down and holding out his arms. "Come here."

With a pitifully sad nod, Hyunjin collapsed into Changbin's arms on the bed. Snuggling was always the easiest way to make Hyunjin feel better. 

Changbin held him until his tears stopped, and soon after, both of them were fast asleep. 

  
  
  


When Changbin woke, his room was completely dark. He thought he heard a noise, but when he sat up and looked around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. 

Groggily, he slid his arm out from under Hyunjin's head and grabbed his phone. The glowing screen displayed the time: _ 22:02. _

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath. 

He checked for any new texts, but there was nothing. Hurriedly, he opened his and Felix's chat. 

_ 22:03 _

_ You: _ hey! are you coming over soon? I totally got caught up in something and didn't realize how late it was

"Jinnie, wake up," he mumbled, nudging Hyunjin's shoulder. Hyunjin just groaned and rolled over, and Changbin shook him again. "Wake up! I have someone coming over."

"Hnnnggh." Hyunjin groaned into the pillow before finally lifting his head and blinking sleepily. "What time is it?"

"Ten." Changbin patted his friend's back. "Do you feel a little better?" He hesitated before speaking again. "Did you want to stay over tonight?"

Hyunjin smirked at him. "No, I won't intrude on your little date," he said. "And I do feel better. Thanks, Binnie. For everything." He sat up and hugged Changbin. "You're a good friend."

"Damn right I am. You drooled on my pillow."

His friend giggled sheepishly and untangled himself from the sheets, stretching his arms up towards the ceiling and exposing a sliver of skin. Changbin looked away. He had gotten over those feelings long ago, but sometimes it was hard to forget that Hyunjin was, like, hot. Really hot.

They hugged. "Come over anytime, Jinnie. I mean it."

"Thanks. Have fun on your date!"

As soon as the door closed, Changbin grabbed his phone again. But there was nothing. No messages, no missed calls. He just stood in the middle of his room, staring at his screen anxiously.

Feeling a little silly, Changbin opened the door and poked his head outside, looking down the hallway. Maybe Felix had gotten shy and just didn't want to come in? But there was no one in sight. 

It was only then that Changbin started to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

What if something had happened? Or what if Felix had changed his mind, or worse still, what if it had just been a joke to him in the first place? 

Changbin tapped the Instagram icon. He didn't know what he was hoping to find, but when he swiped over the messaging tab (Felix had started sending him memes over insta a few days ago) and saw the tiny grey <_ active 5m ago _ >, his heart sank. So Felix _ was _on his phone. He was just… ignoring Changbin's texts. 

He sank down onto his bed. _ What the fuck do I do now? _ he wondered. Should he text Felix again? But if Felix was purposely ignoring him, he didn't want to be that guy who blew up the other person's phone. But then again, what if Felix just hadn't seen the message notification? 

…. Maybe he could send just _ one _more. He squinted at the screen, trying to come up with something casual (read: something that didn't show how anxious he felt). 

_ 22:16 _

_ You: _if you're busy we can always reschedule! just lmk. I'll be up for a few more hours

At 1:30AM, he finally gave up waiting and turned out the light. 

  
  
  
  


There was nothing when he woke up.

Nothing at lunch.

And… nothing at dinner.

He barely paid attention to any of his classes that day. His friends all commented that he looked like someone died, but he refused to tell them what was wrong. If he said it, that made it real. 

Finally he couldn't stand it anymore.

_ 21:40 _

_ You: _Felix… I'm getting the feeling that I did something to upset you. But I don't know what's going on. If I did something, can we talk about it?

His heart leapt when he saw the _ typing _ icon, and he gripped his phone nervously, staring at the screen. After what felt like forever, a huge block of text took up the entire messaging app window.

_ 21:45 _

_ Felix: _honestly I don't know what to say to you. and I don't know how you're even texting me rn cause like??? I know we've only known each other for two weeks but I thought we kind of had something? and I thought you felt it too. but then what the fuck am I supposed to think when you INVITE me to your room and then apparently just change your mind and decide to sleep with another guy and just NOT tell me???? like 'hey come over so you can see me in bed with someone else haha' well it's NOT fucking funny, what the fuck changbin. why are you even messaging me

_ Fuck. _

The noise he thought he'd heard last night-- it must have been Felix. 

Changbin smacked himself on the forehead. _ You idiot. _Of course it was Felix, because Changbin had told him the door would be unlocked. And what did Felix see?

Changbin, in bed with some guy Felix had never seen before. He remembered how he woke up-- his arm under Hyunjin's head, their legs all tangled together-- and he wanted to scream at himself. It was normal for him and Hyunjin, sure. But to an outsider, there was only one obvious conclusion. 

_ 21:47 _

_ You: _Felix. I am so sorry. I didn't even think that could have been it

_ You: _please let me try to explain ok?

_ Felix _: yeah ok EXPLAIN AWAY the guy in your bed

_ Felix: _literally asleep IN YOUR ARMS

_ You: _yeah I'm realizing how that looked now and I'm sorry

_ You: _that was my best friend. he's a freshman this year too and he hasn't really been getting along with his roommate. he called me yesterday at like 7 and asked if he could come over cause they just had a really big fight 

_ You: _so we talked a bit and we ended up falling asleep. which was definitely shitty of me, I had already made plans with you and I should have paid more attention to the time or set an alarm or something

_ You: _and I guess the cuddling would seem weird to other people, but we've literally been friends since we were five and slept in the same bed probably more than we slept alone and I know this sounds like a shitty excuse from a drama but I promise you it's the truth

_ You: _you can even meet him if you want. and he's all over my insta 

_ You: _ I know that doesn't make up for me letting you just walk in on that without any explanation, but I really am sorry, Felix. And… I do feel something. Between us. And I just hope I didn't fuck it up.

_ You: _you don't have to respond right away or anything… but I hope you can forgive me

  
  


_ THUMP. _

Changbin's head jerked up. He was laying in bed, texting Hyunjin about everything that had happened. It had been over an hour and Felix hadn't responded, so he was feeling pretty low about the whole thing. 

He padded to the door, wondering who it was. Sometimes Chan forgot his keys and had to be let in through Changbin's side, but usually Chan would text him first. 

He opened the door, and--

It was Felix.

"Hey," Felix said, not quite meeting Changbin's eyes. 

"Uh, hi," Changbin answered. Suddenly he didn't know what to do with his hands, and he was grateful to whatever divine influence had convinced him to brush his teeth before Chris hopped in the shower ten minutes ago instead of waiting for his roommate to finish. "I-- I didn't expect--"

"Yeah, sorry. I just… I didn't really know what to say over text. Can we… talk?"

"Um, yeah. Of course." Changbin stepped aside, a wordless invitation into the room. "Sit wherever."

Felix brushed past him and chose to sit in the giant black Lovesac in the corner of the room. He patted it thoughtfully. "I've always wanted to sit in one of these. Aren't they crazy expensive?"

"My uncle bought it. He's kind of rich and buys my sister and I stuff all the time cause he doesn't have kids of his own."

"Oh. Cool." Felix's hands ran over the soft suede as he looked around the room. Changbin suddenly felt self-conscious.

"You really _ do _like space," Felix observed.

Changbin blushed. "A little." His room was covered in mostly NASA paraphernalia-- the full set of the Visions of the Future mini posters, printouts of interesting images from the Hubble, and he even had glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. In accurate constellation formations, of course. Hyunjin had convinced him they were retro-cool, but now Changbin felt a little embarrassed. "I'm majoring in astronomy with a minor in geology. I wanna do geological studies of other planets when I graduate."

Felix hummed, and Changbin thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile appear. But it vanished before he could be sure. 

"I believe you about Hyunjin," Felix said finally. "But… I'm still kind of mad."

Changbin sat down on his bed. "That's fair," he said. "I would be mad, too, if that had happened to me." He bit his lip. "I'm sorry."

Felix closed his eyes and sank back into the giant beanbag. He looked so tiny, getting swallowed up by the poofy fabric, with his lilac hair standing out against the black. He was silent for a little while, and Changbin squirmed. He hated the unsureness of silence. 

"I like you, Changbin."

Changbin nearly choked. Felix's eyes fluttered open, and he looked directly at Changbin. "Do you like me?"

Too stunned and shy and nervous to speak, Changbin just nodded. 

"I feel like this is kind of fast," Felix went on. "But… I can't control it. I really like you. And seeing you in bed with someone else kinda fucked me up."

_ With someone _ ** _else_ ** _ . _ Changbin didn't let himself think of what the implications of that were. "I know," he said heavily. "I don't know how to make it up to you. I wish things hadn't turned out like this."

Felix was giving him a _ look. _ As inexperienced as Changbin was, he knew that look. It was… _ suggestive. _

"How about you promise not to let anyone else into your bed anymore? Unless…" Felix swallowed, and Changbin thought he might be more nervous than he seemed. "Unless it's me." 

Changbin nearly choked. "Felix--"

"Hyunjin can sleep on the Lovesac," Felix declared in a rush, and then the weird tension was gone and both of them were just laughing. 

"Okay," Changbin agreed when they finally calmed down and caught their breath. "But when he shows up at my door looking like a begging little puppy, I'm sending him to you so you can tell him that yourself."

"He doesn't scare me."

"Oh, it's not being scared you have to worry about. It's the feeling of overwhelming _ pity _ when he makes puppy dog eyes at you. Trust me, you'll be whipped in a heartbeat."

"He can certainly try." Felix wiggled out of the Lovesac and stood up, and in just a few short steps he was in front of Changbin's bed. Changbin looked up at him, heart racing. 

Felix came closer. "But I'm already whipped for someone else." And then he leaned forward, climbing half onto the bed and kissing Changbin right on the lips.

At first Changbin just looked up at him, stunned. His fingers rose to touch his own lips, ghosting where Felix's skin had just been, like he couldn't believe it was real. 

But it was. It was real. 

And so Changbin kissed him back. 


End file.
